Canadian dramas get Hollywood leg-up

May 19, 2009 Credit Los Angeles agents and distributors with the heavy lifting behind recent U.S. network deals for Canadian series like CBS' "Flashpoint" and NBC's "Howie Do It." "All roads lead through Hollywood, whether it's for packaging, financing, distribution, and everyone needs an advocate physically based in Hollywood," says agent Charles Lenhoff at Lenhoff & Lenhoff, who has represented Canadian A-listers on his roster since the 1980s. Much as last year's Hollywood writers strike opened a door into U.S. primetime for series from the Great White North, Canadian producers have relied on Los Angeles handlers to keep their foot in the door at the studios.

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